10 Best Tacos in Los Angeles

We’re blessed, living in L.A., at least as far as tacos go. You can be struck by a hankering at most anywhere in the city at most anytime of the day or night, and be able to find more than one supremely satisfying taco truck or joint within a mile radius. The ten on this list are the ten that you’ll remember as long as you live here and will crave when you’re away— the tacos that are worth the drive from wherever you are. Because why not? It's always taco weather.

Marlin tacos at Coni'Seafood

T. Nguyen

10. Coni’Seafood Coni’Seafood’s pescado zarandeado — a snook sold by the kilo, beautifully butterflied, seasoned and grilled — is so good that most everything else on the restaurant’s menu might seem like supporting acts, but the marlin tacos arguably also deserve top billing. These arrive three to a plate, each about the size of a classic Moleskine notebook, stuffed with smoky, shredded marlin encased in melted cheese and a slice of avocado for good measure. They will last mere seconds before the snook arrives, complete with hot tortillas and a bowl of red onions. Of course, given that the stage has already been set, you'll look at the table and think: DIY snook taco? Why not. 3544 W Imperial Highway, Inglewood; (424) 261-0986.

Al pastor taco at Leo's Taco Truck

T. Nguyen

9. Tacos Leo The spinning trompo in front of Tacos Leo's flame orange taco truck may as well be a marker on a Google Map, with that spit marking the spot for the treasure that is Leo’s juicy al pastor. This spot is specifically located in the parking lot of a gas station in the middle of the city; on your order, a taquero will shave off a few thin slices of that al pastor right off the trompo and onto a warm, oiled tortilla; the meat will be followed by a chunk or two of pineapple. You can add salsa to this if you'd like, but it really needs no additional accoutrements. It's terrific and deeply satisfying as is. 1515 S. La Brea Ave., L.A.; (323) 231-5116.

Mexicali Taco & Co.'s carne asada taco

T. Nguyen

8. Mexicali Taco & Co. If you’re a die-hard Mexicali Taco & Co. fan, you’ll fondly recall the awesome late nights when Esdras Ochoa and Javier Fregoso would set up in that empty parking lot at Beaudry and 1st, bringing out tortillas they hauled in from Baja, chopping seasoned carne asada on a worn tree trunk and grilling it, along with chorizo and chicken, over a fire, sending up plumes of smoke that you could see blocks away. These days, you won’t find them via smoke signal; they have, rather, moved indoors, to a permanent spot on Figueroa, just north of Downtown. So there's a roof now, and the option to put a fried egg in your taco if you so choose, but much everything else is the same as it ever was: the salty chunks of carne asada, the tortillas from across the border, the excellent salsa bar. Fans aren't disappointed. 702 N. Figueroa St., L.A.; (213) 613-0416.